Today's paper has pictures of parents drawing encouraging pictures on sidewalks in an effort to alleviate some of the stress students feel about the TAKS tests. Some schools bring in special music, pencils, dancing bears, etc. All of it is aimed at getting the kids upbeat and relaxed about taking tests that they hear about all year long. It occurs to me that if one has the tendency to get nervous, none of the hoopla is going to make one bit of difference.
There are also those students who could care less about the tests. These kids frequently remind the teachers that it's the teacher's fault if they fail. After spending a whopping thirty minutes or less on the test, some of these kids turn their test booklets in without even checking their work. Why should they? They aren't responsible for the results.
One of my gifted sixth grade boys used to agonize over the tests and stay until the cows came home checking his answers. His anxiety was felt by everyone. Normally a bright boy with a friendly smile, his fears about what might happen if he failed the test were more than he could tolerate. Of course, he always sailed through with flying colors and achieved exemplary ratings, but he worried constantly until he learned his scores.
Why is it necessary to do this to kids? Routine achievement tests administered at the end of each year give us all of the information we need to know about a student's progress. Money poured into developing and scoring state tests could be spent on materials for instruction.
Save the dancing bears for the circus.